The city of Boulder is considering what its energy future will look like. The goal it to acquire "clean, local and reliable" energy in the future, and one voter-approved option is to start a municipal utility. For more information on the history of this decision, click here.

Lyons: Body of missing retired coach and longtime teacher found

Gerald 'Gerry' Boland was fourth flood fatality in Boulder County

The body of Gerald Boland was found near the 1000 Block of Apple Valley Road which is located near the center right side of this photo.
(
Matthew Jonas
)

Boulder County searchers discovered the body of Lyons' Gerald Boland on Thursday afternoon, confirming his family's fears that he died during last week's historic flooding.

Boland, a former Lyons basketball coach and longtime teacher, had been missing since Thursday after his family evacuated Lyons.

A Federal Emergency Management search-and-rescue team discovered Boland's body in the St. Vrain River bed on the 1000 block of Apple Valley Road, a few hundred yards downstream from Boland's home. The coroner's office confirmed his identity Thursday afternoon using fingerprint comparisons. His cause and manner of death are pending.

Boland

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said on Thursday afternoon that the discovery meant everyone who had been unaccounted for in Boulder County had been found. However, shortly after the discovery, Larimer County Sheriff's Officials forwarded a list of unaccounted-for residents they determined should have been listed in Boulder County.

"The names are quickly being eliminated just by cross-checking the lists from the evacuation shelters," he said. "We got our list down to nothing. This is just a hiccup."

Holly Stetson, Longmont High School's volleyball coach had been waiting on word from her father or of his fate since he went missing.

"I feel better than I have in some time," she said Thursday evening. "It is a relief to know that they found him. The days have kind of blurred together but I'm glad we can start getting some closure for our mother."

During the Longmont High volleyball game at Thompson Valley on Thursday, players wrote "FOR" on their left calves and "COACH" on their right calves in support of Stetson.

Henry Masengale of Loveland taught at Lyons Elementary with Boland. Boland was his best man at his wedding in 1969.

"I was glad they could find him," Masengale said. "That feels good knowing that that part of it is over. My mind is flooding with all the good memories of him.

"Jerry used to call all of his kids in the sixth-grade class by their last name. When I asked him why, he said 'I think it's because I was in the Army and that's what everyone did. I've just kept with it.'"

Earlier this week, Stetson's family pieced together a few details regarding Boland's whereabouts in the early hours of Sept. 12. After being told to evacuate their home in North St. Vrain Canyon at about 2:30 a.m., Boland was following his wife out of town, headed toward Stetson's residence in Hygiene.

At some point Boland turned his car around. Later, he was spotted at the evacuation point at Lyons Elementary, where Boland taught for almost 30 years, and he was one of the first to arrive and turn on the lights for the soon-to-be-arriving evacuees.

Boland left Lyons Elementary before Cheron Boland, who had turned back into town to look for her husband, arrived at about 6 a.m.

Stetson said her father's truck was located about 200 yards downstream from the home the family purchased in the mid-1960s. Search-and-rescue dogs picked up Boland's scent in the truck, but Stetson said they were informed the additional rain that fell Sunday made it highly unlikely the dogs would be able to follow through with a discovery.

"His truck was very mashed, but given where they found it we think he was in the neighborhood," Stetson said earlier this week. "We feel he probably passed away right there in the truck, but the water was moving so violently around there, who knows what may have happened. At 4 a.m. or so I'm sure he started to worry about mom and that's why he left (Lyons Elementary)."

Others killed in the past week's flooding are a man killed in a building collapse in Jamestown and two teenagers who were swept away by floodwaters on Linden Drive near Boulder.

The body of the man killed in Jamestown, believed to be Joseph Howlett, 72, was recovered this week. The coroner's office has yet to release the identity. The coroner identified the two teens as Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan, both 19.

Boulder County ceased air rescue operations Thursday as the county's number of unaccounted for dropped significantly over the course of the day Wednesday.

Jennifer Bray with the Boulder County emergency center said all of the military air support stationed at Boulder Municipal Airport since the county began air rescues over the weekend has been sent back to Fort Carson.

Boulder Sheriff Joe Pelle said Wednesday night he expected the sharp decrease in air operations as the county prepares to take control of the operation from the military and federal agencies.

"We're preparing to move this back into county control," Pelle said.

Officials said Boulder County still will be able to request air resources should the need arise. Ground search-and-rescue missions will continue, particularly in the town of Lyons, officials said.

But search crews did not have to conduct any rescues Wednesday. Since the flooding, the National Guard said 1,809 people have been evacuated in Boulder County, 1,102 by air and 707 by ground.

Boulder Office of Emergency Management said Wednesday night that at least 397 homes were damaged and 340 destroyed by the Boulder County floodwaters.

Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman William Rukeyser said of the 10,190 households statewide that have applied for FEMA assistance, 7,685 are in Boulder County. FEMA so far has given out $4.3 million in assistance.

Ballot language:
In November, Boulder voters narrowly approved two ballot issues related to starting a municipal utility: 2B and 2C. You can read the full text of the ballot language on the city's website.

Issue 2B asked voters to increase the existing utility occupation tax by up to $1.9 million a year. The money from the tax, which will be collected from customers by Xcel Energy, will be used by the city to cover the costs of moving forward with forming a municipal utility, such as more studies and legal fees.

Issue 2C asked voters for permission to actually form a municipal utility. The language allows the city to sell the necessary bonds to take over the current system from Xcel, but it states that the city may only move forward with forming a municipal utility if it can start the utility with rates that are the same or cheaper than Xcel's.

Helpful Links:City of Boulder: This is where the city is aggregating all of its documents, meeting information and updates on Boulder s energy future: bouldercolorado.gov/energyfuture

RenewablesYes: This website is run by the group of volunteers that lobbied local voters to pass a utility occupation tax in November to replace the expiring franchise fee from Xcel Energy. Now, the group is advocating for the city to secure a cleaner, more local energy supply. renewablesyes.org

Xcel Energy: Xcel is the largest utility in Colorado, and it currently provides electricity to Boulder. The city s 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel expired at the end of 2010. xcelenergy.com

Boulder Smart Energy Coalition: A citizen group that supports the city's general energy goals but has concerns about the risks involved with starting a municipal utility. bouldersec.com

SmartGridCity: Xcel Energy has installed a smart grid in Boulder. This web site provides more information on that initiative. smartgridcity.xcelenergy.com

Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities: This Colorado Springs-based group represents the state s 29 municipal utilities, which include utilities based in Lyons and Longmont. coloradopublicpower.org